welcome to nhk world "newsline." people in israel and gaza spent their first night in more than a week resting instead of worrying about the possibility of an attack. a cease-fire between the israeli government and the palestinian group hamas seems to be holding. they agreed to it after long negotiations involving egypt, the united states and the u.n. business owners at a gaza market dusted off their shops in preparation for reopening. >> translator: the cease-fire will bring life back to normal and i thank god. >> translator: i don't have faith in israel.

it could ignore the cease-fire. >> israeli military spokespersons say several rockets from gaza landed on their side of the border immediately after the truce took effect, but they say no more have come since then. some smaller palestinian militant groups didn't agree to the cease-fire, so they could theoretically continue sporadic attacks from gaza. hamas and israel promised in the cease-fire agreement to end all hostilities, including rocket attacks in the targeting of individuals. israeli officials pledged to open border crossings and allow the free movement of people and goods. the conflict between israeli troops and hamas fighters began wednesday of last week. days of air strikes and rocket fire killed more than 160 palestinians and 5 israelis. the u.s. ambassador to the united nations is used to defending her country's foreign

policy decisions. now susan rice has broken her silence to defend herself. rice is considered a candidate for secretary of state. but she's faced scrutiny because of comments she made following the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. rice made a tv appearance immediately after the september 11 attack. she suggested protests in benghazi over a u.s.-made name mocked the prophet mohammed triggered the assault on the consulate. but investigators later determined it was likely a premeditated plot by extremists with links to al qaeda. the attackers killed the u.s. ambassador and three other americans. rice broke her silence wednesday in response to rising criticism from members of the republican party. >> i relied solely and squarely on the information provided to me by the intelligence community. i made clear that the information was preliminary.

and that our investigations would give us the definitive answers. >> republican lawmakers are mounting a campaign against a possible plan by barack obama to nominate rice as secretary of state to replace hillary clinton. they say she's not qualified or fit for the job. obama criticized the republicans last weeker calling their attacks on rice outrageous. south koreans will learn who will be in the running to become their next president. registration of candidates starts on sunday, kicking off election campaigning. three hopefuls have already said they're ready for the job. pak is ahead in the opinion polls. she's a daughter of former president. she's aiming to be the country's first woman president. moon was a close aide to the late president.

a software entrepreneur, aung gained fame for his anti-virus programs. some call him the bill gates of south korea. representatives of both moon and aung have been talking about joining forces. polls suggest their only chance against pak is to agree on a unified candidacy. moon and aung held their first and only televised debate on wednesday to decide who should go up against pak. >> translator: i think i'm the best prepared candidate for those who want to run for president because of my experience in national politics. >> moon criticized aung for his lack of political experience, saying he's better suited to lead the country. aung responded by saying that south korean politics needs to change and that he is the one who can do that. >> translator: one citizen told me i should run for president. otherwise, the people will never be able to regain control of politics. i won't forget this.

>> about policies towards north korea, moon said the south and north should hold an inter-korean summit as soon as possible. >> translator: you have to have a detailed plan from the beginning of your campaign. once i am elected, i will carry out my plan. >> translator: if you set a deadline for a summit, you lose the initiative during negotiations and the summit could become merely an event. >> the debate produced no apparent winner. the two discussed in person how to resolve the single candidate issue on thursday, but so far they have made no progress. earlier, shery ahn spoke with okomoto. he has covered the last two presidential elections in 2002 and in 2007. >> what was your impression of the tv debate?

>> yes, moon and ahn, although moon and ahn are opponents in the race, they were not very adversary. -- aggressive. this means to me that they do not consider themselves enemies, but partners hoping for victory in the presidential election. staff members from both sides have frequently spoken of a unified candidacy, but they have yet to agree on who that unified candidate should be. >> it's less than a month until the election. why are they still unable to decide? >> yeah. each side realizes that only a public poll can decide on a unified candidate, but they're arguing how such a poll should be taken. moon of the democratic party is saying the question should be, who would be the most appropriate candidate. independent ahn is saying the candidate should be the one with

the best chance of beating the ruling parties. approval ratings vary according to how poll questions are asked. >> do you think they will eventually be able to come up with a unified candidate? >> i can't say for sure. neither candidate appears wants to drop out of the race. ahn is now very popular, especially among younger voters. on the other hand, moon was officially selected as the nominee from among formal members of the united party. both candidates advocate political reform. various polls indicate that neither moon nor ahn alone can beat pak. only their combined approval rate exceeds that of their rival. official candidate registration begins on sunday. so our time is limited. the key is trusting each enough

to work together and take power from the ruling party. >> and that was nhk world's kengo okamoto. pyongyang's military leaders warn they will attack the island if the commemorations go ahead. north korea fired on the island in 2010. two members of south korean's military died. north korea's military leaders issued a statement, saying they will again turn the island into a sea of fire if south koreans hold the planned memorials. the statement says such an event would be an act of provocation that would bring about a 100-fold increase in the people's armies willful retaliation. north korea has repeatedly criticized the election. analysts say the harsh criticism shows pyongyang's apparent wish

to see a more conciliatory administration elected in the south. a global credit rating agency has downgraded the debts of consumer electronics makers panasonic and sony to below investment grade. fitch ratings lowered the debt rating of panasonic by two notches to bb, that's down from bbb minus. it cited weak demand for its core products. panasonic is predicting a huge net loss, which will make it the second straight year of red ink. fitch has also cut sony's level by three ratings to bb minus down from bbb minus. sony posted a loss in earnings through september. earlier this month, another consumer electronics firm, sharp, also suffered a downgrade. all the electronics companies have been struggling due to a strong yen and heated

competition from apple and samsung. laborers are voicing demands for their own piece of success. workers around the country are asking for higher pay to cope with the rising cost of living. we have more from our bureau in bangkok on the details. >> reporter: thousands of workers took to the streets of jakarta on thursday to demonstrate. they oppose low wages and a plan for them to cover welfare cost. [ chanting ] >> protesters gathered near the presidential palace and marched to the parliament building calling for an increase in the minimum wage. the indonesian economy grew by 6.5% last year, but with that growth comes a higher cost of living. demonstrators carried signs lambasting a 2011 law that will

require salary reductions to cover social security and health benefits. the law is expected to go into effect in 2014, but workers say those costs should remain the government's responsibility. similar prothave been recently held in other cities around the country as workers urge the government to protect them. phuket is an idyllic location in southern thailand has plans to lure a segment of the muslims who make up nearly 25% of the world's population. we have more. >> reporter: eight million travellers a year head to phu t

phuket. ♪ >> reporter: one of phuket's annual tourism events shows what the island has to offer guests. visiting is the secretary gener general. he threw his weight behind the plan. >> if we want to cater for all sorts of clients and tourists, we need to be sensitive to their demands. >> more restaurants in phuket serve halal which means perishable.

this restaurant said diners can eat in confidence with dishes that have no pork or alcohol. many tourists find the halal signs reassuring. >> i think it's the best place in phuket. a lot of the halal food and restaurant. a cute and nice place. >> reporter: a new type of islamic culture has also opened. -- islamic hotel has also opened. features prayer mats and signs pointing to -- it has copies of the koran available. the hotel is located in front of a mosque and boasts a halal restaurant and prayer rooms. the building is decorated with islamic designs to appeal to

muslhusbanmuslim muslims. >> translator: since we opened this islamic hotel last year, the number of guest is increasing. we can support muslim tourists 100%. >> reporter: thailand is a mostly buddhist country. but in phuket, nearly 40% of people are muslim. tours of islamic sites are gaining popularity. the island has areas built by ancient fishermen nearly 200 years ago. bringing alcohol or pork on to the island is strictly prohibited. everything served here is, of course, halal.

>> this is in the middle of the beach nshs the middle of the sea. >> translator: we welcome all travelers. any nationality, religion, or cultural background. providing various halal services for muslim travellers is a must for us. >> reporter: phuket hopes demand from the muslim world will take its tourism industry to a new height. the lesson is that taking account of other people's values isn't just a matter of respect, it's also good for business. nhk world, phuket. that's going to wrap up our bulletin from bangkok. the world's tallest broadcast tower celebrates its sixth anniversary. one of the biggest tourist attractions has drawn almost 1/3 more visitors than expected.

some shops around the sky tree aren't reaping the rewards and are actually seeing falling sales. thursday marked the anniversary of the may opening of the 634 meter-high structure. the sky tree's operator said nearly 3.3 million people had visited the tower's observation decks at 350 and 450 meters high as of wednesday. 30% more than anticipated. the company also said the tower and the attached commercial complex a tracted a total of nearly 28 million visitors. 50% more than forecast. it's not boom time for everyone. the shopping districts around the sky tree expected a business surge, but it never came. on the contrary, some shops are seeing declining sales. this shopping center is home to 70 stores. some shopkeepers say people visited when the sky tree was under construction.

but recently even the locals have stopped coming. this grocery store has been here for years, but many prefer the sky tree so sales have dropped 20% to 30%. >> translator: i think it can't be helped at the minute. people usually want to enjoy shopping at any new place they visit. still, the situation is much worse than i ever expected. >> an expert has been sent to the area. the consultant visits shops to see what they're doing right. these candidated vegetables are a that -- candied vegetables are traditional in the area. the shop has increased sales by about 20% in the last few months. since the opening of the sky tree, staff have been trying to chat with customers for longer than before. customers can go inside the factory and see how the traditional confectionary is made. the shop is luring people in by

sharing the experience of an old town tradition. >> translator: if we do nothing, visitors see the tower and go. we have to appeal to them with something that can't be found elsewhere. >>. >> reporter: they're pulling together the know-how of successful businesses by the end of the year. its aim is to share tips with the struggling stores. >> translator: some shops are appealing to customers by shedding light on old traditions from different angles. i hope they'll provide good examples and help create more successful cases so we can see better results all around. >> local shops continue to make better use of the strong appeal of the sky tree and to pull in more customers. japanese seismologist vs. a lot of data to work with in determining the power of earthquakes. one took into account the earth's size and topography.

he says the maximum strength possible would be around magnitude ten. university professor matazawa researches the science of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. he pounts out a magnitude ten earthquake would release 32 times more energy than the nine tremor that struck northeastern japan last year. the woshld's largest known earthquake hit chile in 1960 with a magnitude of 9.5. the seismologist said that would occur only under particular circumstances. for example, the fault that spans 8,800 kilometers along the northern pacific rim trench would have to shift by 20 meters. >> i'm not saying a magnitude ten earthquake will definitely occur, but people should be aware of what could happen. >> he says such an earthquake would result in tremors lasting 20 minutes to an hour and triggered tsunami for several

days. experts have been predicting another large quake will strike japan. one area at risk is the southern coast. officials as many as 320,000 people in the region could die. they say a major tremor could strike wakayama especially hard, killing up to 80,000 people. nhk world took a look at how residents of one town are trying to prepare. >> reporter: if there's a major earthquake, people will have to head to higher ground no matter what time of day or night. this area faces the pacific. a tsunami could be up to 18

meters high. the local residents are no strangers to disaster. this area is often hit by typhoons and flooding from heavy rain has often forced them to flee their homes during the night. planning sessions are held to ensure everyone it k get -- eve can get to safety even in the dark. >> older people will need help to reach the higher ground. [ siren ] >> reporter: an alarm starts the evacuation drill. in this sscenario, a stadium in has been forecast. residents have ten minutes to reach safety. >> reporter: it's so dark, people can't see the signs

pointing out the escape route. the evacuation takes longer than expected. >> translator: it's really dark. if there's a real tsunami, i don't want to waste any time getting to safety. >> translator: if there's an earthquake, it will probably knock out the power supply. it worries me to think we'll have to rely on flashlights in the pitch darkness. >> reporter: on this escape route, there are red lights on either side of the steps showing the way up. they also indicate the height above sea level. red for elevations of under ten meters, green lights where it's over ten meters. in the darkness, these lights are people's only guide for reaching the evacuation area. >> translator: i didn't see any signs. the only thing i looked for was whether the light was green. >> our goal is to save people's

lives and prevent casualties. we have a lot to do, but we're tackling it one problem at a time. >> reporter: the threat of major earthquake and tsunami is not being take not lightly in the prefecture. and in this community, that means knowing how to reach safety even in the dead of night. nhk world. for those of you celebrating thanksgiving in the united states, meteorologist robert spetta has the weather forecast. robert? there are some rough spots out here actually across the americas that we're continuing to watch. first the dakotas, a storm system's moving through. you could see snow, up to send e ten centimeters of the white stuff coming down. with the system, we have it cold front stretching across the ohio into the mississippi river valley. that will bring rain showers. thunderstorm activity going through your thursday. the rest of the americas looks dry. on friday, though, we are

watching a storm system move into the pacific northwest. already affecting british columbia here with gusty winds. even heavy rains. that's expected to track to the east. sunny toward the southwest, along the east coast. if you plan on enjoying your thursday and getting out there for autumn weather, it looks like it's going to be decent. let's talk about the temperatures because this cold front across the central plains is going to be dropping things drastically. minneapolis, 13 here on your thursday. going down to minus three on your friday. same toward memphis. nine degrees on your saturday. actually, single digits across the board, across much of the seaboard. going through the weekend here. very chilly, autumn-like in places as temperatures drop below the freezing mark. talking about a taste of winter. japan toward hokkaido, you could be seeing 25 meter of snow throughout the next 24 hours due

it a storm system moving out of eastern china. that's going to work its way off toward the north. it's not just this storm system that's bringing messy weather across japan on friday. another one down here toward the south coming out of southeastern china, that's going to be bringing widespread rain showers across the eastern seaboard of the pacific side of japan here. even gusty winds with it and cooler temperatures. in tokyo on friday, the low is expected to be around eight degrees. chilly. i know it's a holiday, but it looks like you'll need the umbrella nearby. if you have plans outside, you'll want to move them inside. we have high pressure ridging in behind us. good news on saturday into sunday. fair weather is going to be ridging in from the west. this is already bringing dry weather across portions of china here. even temperatures are dropping do down. the high here, minus eight. beijing at seven. as we look toward the south, 12 and 11 in china. south of the front things warm

up. the tropics, in the 30s. in tokyo, 11 for the high is what it's going to look like to start off your weekend. now let's look toward europe. the same weather pattern has been in place here. one system after another moving across the northwest into the scandinavian peninsula. the british isles, you have been continuing to see heavy rain showers. actually high wind and heavy rain warnings in effect crass much of the u.k., even off toward ireland. you're still going to be seeing this going through the next several days. a break in store, but another system will work in from the southwest, pushing toward the northeast. across much of central and eastern europe, things remain the dry side. good news for you. it looks like temperatures will remain cool. going into the early part of next week, do expect another storm system to start to work its way, really change this pattern across much of southern europe. expect wet weather, but that's not until about monday or tuesday. for the time being, single-digit temperatures in london and paris. moscow, looking at two for the high on your friday. now here's a look at your

extended forecast. we'll be back with more updates in 30 minutes. updates in 30 minutes. i'm gene otani in tokyo.

-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com